Labels decoded

How do you know which labels you can really trust? Start with these 12, which have a clear purpose and process behind the certifications.

With an overwhelming number of health and environmental claims appearing on packages everywhere—from produce bins to the beauty aisle—it’s easy to feel lost in a sea of stamps and seals. How do you know which you can really trust? Start with these 12, which have a clear purpose and process behind the certifications.

Organic certifiers

USDA Certified Organic

Who’s behind it:

What it means:

*Prohibits the use of GMOs, most conventional pesticides and herbicides, sewage sludge, antibiotics, growth hormones, and irradiation.

*Organic producers record procedures and maintain cropland free of prohibited substances for three years before earning the seal, which varies in price based on the certifier.

*The seal is permitted on commodities that are 100 percent organic or made with at least 95 percent organic ingredients. The USDA’s National List of Allowed and Prohibited Substances identifies synthetic substances that may be used and nonsynthetic substances that cannot be used in organic production and handling operations.

* For meat, poultry, dairy, and eggs to be USDA Certified Organic, animals must have been fed 100 percent organic feed; never given growth hormones or antibiotics; and not have been routinely confined. However, the NOP does not police animal treatment. Cloned animals or their offspring also cannot qualify for the seal.

Look for it on:

Fair Trade Certified

Who’s behind it:

TransFair USA (transfairusa.org), a nonprofit organization that certifies fair-trade products using the standards established and enforced by Fairtrade Labelling Organizations International (FLO)—a global network of 20 labeling initiatives.

What it means:

*Farmers and farm workers from 58 developing countries across Africa, Asia, and Latin America receive community-development premiums to be invested in projects such as health care, education, and organic certification.

*Farmers and workers work in fair and safe labor conditions, use environmentally sustainable methods, and partake in direct trade.

*TransFair USA is the leading third-party fair-trade certifier of food goods in the United States.

Look for it on:

Whole Grain

Who’s behind it:

Whole Grains Council (wholegrainscouncil.org), a nonprofit consumer advocacy group comprised of millers, manufacturers, scientists, and chefs.

What it means:

*The 100 percent stamp means that all grains used to make the product are “whole” (containing the germ, bran, and endosperm typically stripped during processing) and that one serving of the product contains 16 grams of whole grains.

*The basic stamp means one serving of the product contains at least 8 grams of whole grains and includes some refined grains.

*Note: The entire product doesn’t have to be Rainforest Alliance Certified. The Rainforest Alliance requires single-ingredient products like coffee to contain at least 30 percent certified content and the package must indicate the percent (the product isn’t required to include this information if it contains 90 percent certified content).

What it means:

*NSF allows the use chemical processes like saponification (processes that are typical for personal care products but may not be allowed for food products) to produce soaps, waxes, and essential oils as long as the raw ingredients involved in the chemical reaction are organic.

*NSF is accredited by the American National Standards Institute (ansi.org), a leading watchdog organization for U.S. nongovernmental standards.